Beaverton man accused of killing mother deemed unfit for trial

A Beaverton man accused of killing his mother and burning her body in a backyard fire pit is unable to assist in his own defense, a Washington County judge determined this week.

Judge Eric Butterfield on Tuesday ordered Matthew Gutierrez to remain at the Oregon State Hospital in Salem for treatment and for a second mental health evaluation. Butterfield first ordered Gutierrez, 25, to the state hospital in August.

Gutierrez is next scheduled to appear in court in February. He has pleaded not guilty to murder and first-degree abuse of a corpse in the July death of Katherine McDowell, 57.

According to the state hospital evaluation, a psychologist wasn't able to definitively say whether Gutierrez would be able to help in his defense because he refused to be interviewed.

The psychologist examined Gutierrez's records including his medical history and wrote that he appears to show symptoms of psychosis and likely meets the criteria to be diagnosed with a psychotic disorder. But the psychologist noted other possible explanations behind Gutierrez' behavior, such as past drug and alcohol abuse, possible unidentified medical conditions, personality dysfunction or feigning mental illness.

The report said Gutierrez's family had noticed changes in his demeanor starting in September 2015, including paranoia and violence. At times, he thought people were watching him. He covered his windows, took out his light bulbs, unplugged his electronics and exhibited other odd behavior, the report said.

He was arrested in June 2016 because he assaulted his sister and had been previously been "sexually inappropriate" toward a co-worker and another woman, the report said. In January,he woke up his parents during the night, told his father that his mother was poisoning him, pushed his mother, spat on her, threw items around the home and then left.

Authorities later found him at a library and took him into custody on a mental health hold. He stayed at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center for nearly a week until he demanded to leave. Beaverton police said he was also arrested in March on suspicion of harassment stemming from physical contact with his mother McDowell.

According to the report, Gutierrez's doesn't have a family history of mental illness, but his mother may have experienced depression.

Jail staff told the psychologist that Gutierrez hadn't shown any concerning behavior or signs of mental distress since he was booked on the murder charge, the report said. Gutierrez also told jail staff he didn't have any mental illness or require any mental health services.

The Oregon State Medical Examiner's Office wasn't able to determine how McDowell was killed, but ruled her manner of death as a homicide.

Gutierrez's sister called 911 on July 17 and requested police check on their mother after she couldn't reach her, Beaverton police said.

Officers found Gutierrez at home but no sign of McDowell in the house they shared in the 11500 block of Southwest 11th Street. Officers arrested Gutierrez after he told investigators he burned her body, police said.